The next day

Sarah was supposed to meet Jareth Kingston in the library at two, but that didn't stop her from getting an early start to "their" work. After grabbing a coffee, she sat at a table close to the entrance and started mapping out the ideas she had been working on for the past few weeks. She was surprised when Jareth showed up exactly at the time they agreed on.

"Sarah." Jareth stated, letting her know that he was there.

Sarah's head followed the accented voice and saw Jareth Kingston standing across from her.

"Jareth." Sarah said, trying not to let her disdain show.

Jareth placed his vintage messenger bag on the table and began removing stuff out of it before sitting across from her. The silence was tense, and Sarah decided to that the sooner they started the sooner they could finish.

"I have a few ideas I'd like to run by you." Sarah said as she handed her well manicured list to him. He skimmed over them, but Sarah couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face was blank, but he appeared to be seriously contemplating the ideas on the paper given his facial expressions.

"All of these ideas are crap." Jareth said, handing the list back to her.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on Sarah. These are cliched topics that Eubanks has probably seen before. Besides, I'd be wiling to bet that some of our distinguished classmates have already veered off towards these corners. It's such a pity - I thought you'd be more adventurous."

Sarah heavily sighed and she didn't care if Jareth sensed her frustration.

"Okay look, is this how it's going to be for the next few weeks? Us constantly going back and forth arguing with one another?"

Jareth leaned back in the chair and braced his arm on the back of the chair that held his bag. His smug smile aggravated Sarah even more.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Jareth responded.

"Every idea I put forward is to be shot down? You know, I'm not in this class because I just woke up one morning and decided to take it! I earned my spot just like you did."

"On the unfair supposed crucification of Ted Hughes in regards to Sylvia Plath's suicide."

Sarah stared at Jareth, not caring that her mouth was now gaping open.

"I read your paper in the English department's journal of exemplary student work last year. It was rather impressive."

Sarah didn't know what to say in that moment. Did he just pay her a compliment?

"Are you done?" Jareth asked, moving a delicate hand to her lips before closing them with his fingers.

Wait? Did he just trace a finger over my lips? Sarah wondered.

"What?" Sarah asked, knowing her face was getting redder.

"Are you done?" Jareth asked again, cool as a cucumber.

"Seriously, I want to slap you right now."

"I'm sure you do. Sarah, what are we expected to do with this project? And don't pull out the syllabus. Paraphrase it for me." Jareth asked in a somewhat condescending tone.

Sarah decided to play along with his game.

"We have free reign to pick a topic that relates to female empowerment in women's literature whether it be economic, sexual, societal, etc. etc. etc. It's very general, I'll admit, but I was told to expect that from people who've had Dr. Eubanks before."

"Your topic ideas, yet again, are things one would expect to see. I'm willing to bet that some of our classmates have already chosen to go with some of those on your list. Why not step outside of our, or rather, your, comfort zone."

"Well, let me hear your ideas since mine are too pedestrian for you."

Jareth slightly laughed before adding, "I can't take credit for it. It's something you brought up in lecture earlier this semester. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't see it on your list."

Sarah's interest was piqued. He formulated an idea from one of hers?

"I'm listening." Sarah said cautiously as she crossed her arms to her chest.

"How about if we focus on supernatural elements being used towards female empowerment. You made an interesting point a while back about the three witches in Macbeth and how their power lie in not having any real investment in the future of Scotland. They just wanted to watch the world around them descend into chaos. Why can't we take that point and elaborate on it a bit more with other genres and characters?"

Damn, it was a good idea, then again, it was hers.

"I'll take your pensive look as a positive. Shall we go in that direction?" Jareth asked.

"That sounds really good." Sarah admitted, even though she hated acknowledging it.

"Well, you came up with it." Jareth said softly before continuing, "Sarah, may I ask what's your endgame?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you want to do when all of this is over?"

"To be honest, I want at least two dirty martini's when this project is over." Sarah said before adding, "Wait. Are we talking about the course or the degree program?"

"One year from now, where do you see yourself?"

Sarah knew her answer, but she wanted to frame it so that it didn't sound immature in a way that he would shoot her down.

"Why do you care?"

"I'm curious is all. We're going to be working together in close proximity over the next few weeks. Is it wrong that I would like to get to know you a little better?"

First, Jareth Kingston complimented her work. Then he suggested they use her idea for their project. Now he wants to get to know her? Sarah didn't know what to think.

"I wish to pursue a teaching fellowship next year at Oxford. Some people want to work at the best law firms, drive a fancy car, own the colonial style house with the white picket fence, but me, I just want to get to Oxford. What comes after that? I don't know yet. Maybe that is my weird way of living adventurously."

Jareth nodded and began to open up a notebook, but it threw Sarah off kilter.

"What, no 'that's a foolish endeavor Sarah'?" Sarah asked in a fake British accent.

"No. I hope you get it. So, how should we approach this big little project of ours?" Jareth asked.

Sarah didn't really know what to say in that moment, but she couldn't let it go.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Sarah asked.

"Me being nice to you is offering to buy you lunch or dinner. Right now we're just chatting. That is, unless, you'd like to get more friendly." Jareth said with a straight face. "My social calendar is hardly bare, but I could squeeze you in if you'd like." He continued, his words laced with flirtatious innuendo.

"Oh, come off it! I'm staying in my lane, and you best stay in yours." Sarah said, holding up a hand, hoping that her cheeks weren't redder than they were seconds earlier. By the look on Jareth's face, they were.

The two spent the next two hours discussing how they planned on approaching the project. The research and writing would be split in half. As for the presentation, Sarah freely admitted to not being the most creative person when it came to visual presentations, so Jareth was assigned that task. Jareth suggested that they "tag team" the task when it was time to present it to their peers and Dr. Eubanks, but that was something they would worry about later.

"I think we should meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons." Sarah stated.

"No, I think we should meet at least three times a week. How do you feel about weekends?" Jareth asked, typing away on his laptop.

"What about your workload this semester?" Sarah asked.

"I can handle it. Can you handle yours?" He asked, eyeing her from his computer screen.

Sarah didn't even answer him. At this point she knew he was trying to get a response out of her. When Jareth noticed that she wasn't falling for it, he decided to go in a different route.

"Since we're going to be spending so much time together, shouldn't we exchange numbers?" Jareth asked.

"I already have your number, remember? Everyone in the seminar exchanged numbers at the beginning of the semester."

Sarah grabbed her phone to check the time, noticing she missed a text. After taking the phone off of the silent feature, she read a text Toby "sent" her via her father. Laughing at the message and responding back, she placed her phone on the table and didn't notice when Jareth grabbed it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sarah asked, trying to grab the phone from him.

"You don't even have my number in your mobile." Jareth said as he continued to scroll through her contacts.

"Don't worry, I do." Sarah said as she began typing out their outline.

"I don't see my name in here."

"Trust me, it's in there."

There were a few seconds of silence before Jareth spoke.

"Who is Pompous Ass?" He asked curiously.

Sarah remained silent, knowing he would have the gall to answer his own question.

"That's my title in your mobile?" He asked.

"I told you it was in there."

Sarah looked at Jareth who appeared to be a little hurt by the title she gave him on her phone. She thought about apologizing, but just as soon as she thought she saw a pained expression, his mark of indifference returned.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said.

"Well, I've been called far worse."

Jareth appeared to move on from it. Sarah used the online catalog to find sources in the university library that would aide in their project. Minutes later she went to track down three of the titles and brought them to their table. As she began flipping through them to weigh their usefulness, she assumed that Jareth was gathering research.

"May I ask why you've read me in such a way?"

Sarah stopped writing and looked at her partner.

"It really bothers you, doesn't it? I never would have figured you as someone who really puts much stock in how others view him."

"I don't." Jareth huffed.

"Obviously you do." Sarah slowly stated.

"No I don't. You can believe it though if you want. I know how others in our seminar view me, and don't think I didn't see that group text. I just somehow never managed to be added for your weekly jaunts of beer and substandard bar food."

"So I'm supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying? Look in the mirror Jareth. From day one you've been condescending, rude, and a flat out asshole to everyone in our class. You make people feel like their thoughts aren't worthy or valid even though they're graduate students, just like you. Don't tell me it's a British thing because that's no excuse and I've been to England a few times; it's an insult to all Brits. You act like you're better than everyone else and you don't understand why no one wants to hang out with you on the weekends?"

Sarah was calmer than she expected she would be considering what she had to tell him.

"So I'm supposed to dumb myself down for those around me? And by the way, I'm not lacking for any company on the weekends, darling." Jareth stated, not noticing that his voice was getting louder.

"No! You need to understand that not everyone in our is some first year undergrad. No one wants to feel like their thoughts and feelings are stupid and not worth sharing. Plus, newsflash, not everyone is into Crito!"

"You're familiar with Plato's work." Jareth said, slightly smiling.

"Because I took one too many philosophy classes as an undergrad when I thought I wanted to pursue law!"

"My point exactly. You really are a firecracker!"

"You're proving my point right here, right now!" Sarah said, her voice growing louder.

"I can't help but think that some of your friends are 'pedestrian' considering that many of them think that Kate Chopin is the epitome of the feminist literary revolution!"

"You are IMPOSSIBLE!" Sarah said, not realizing that her voice was matching his in volume.

"If not being someone who will hold anyone's hand and sugarcoat the facts makes me a pompous ass, then give me my membership card!" Jareth responded, not realizing that his voice carried throughout the room.

Sarah stood up, ready to throw a book at her partner, but a student worker interrupted them.

"Excuse me, if you two can't remain quiet, then you'll have to leave." The worker said.

"Sorry." Sarah said, hanging her head in shame.

Just when she thought Jareth wouldn't apologize for his part in the scene, he too followed up with one. Sarah took a few seconds to collect herself. She didn't realize that she was gripping the book until she felt Jareth's hands loosen the grip of her fingers from the leather tome.

The two didn't say anything to one another for a few minutes; they continued working as if nothing happened and they didn't make complete fools of themselves in the main area of the library. Sarah thought she would get some satisfaction from telling him what everyone really thought of him, but seeing his pensive and somber face took all of the joy out of it.

"I'll admit that I have high expectations, not just for myself, but for others around me. I know perfectly well how others view me, and sometimes it's easier to wear the mask others expect you to wear."

"Why do you feel the need to do such a thing? You're not an idiot. You're probably one of the smartest people in that seminar…"

"Oh, I know I am." Jareth interrupted.

"And there you go! You know how smart you are and it comes off as smugness. I don't think anyone is asking you to dumb things down for them, but you don't have to one up people all the time. It's okay to not have the last word. I just think that you don't need to be so prickly. If you didn't invest so much energy in trying to prove how much you know, then maybe your name would be included in those group texts." Sarah said.

Jareth was silent, and it appeared as if he was processing all that she told him. She didn't expect things to change overnight. Hell, she didn't expect him to consider her words at all, but all that she said needed to be said. Jareth stretched out his arms and let out a loud exhale.

"Ready to call it a day?" Sarah asked.

"I'm hungry. My lunch wasn't truly a lunch."

"You don't have to stay if you want to leave." Sarah said, continuing to dig or information.

Jareth began to pack up his belongings, and Sarah expected him to just get up and go. They would see each other tomorrow in class, so there was no need to fake a friendly goodbye.

"Why don't you join me?"

"Excuse me." Sarah said, not sure if it was Jareth asking the question.

"My treat. Join me for an early dinner, or snack."

There was an articulate emphasis on his pronunciation of "snack" that she found a bit intriguing. He was staring at her, waiting for her response.

"It's fine if you don't want to. I just thought it would be a nice gesture since you just handed me my arse on a platter."

This was his olive branch. This was Jareth Kingston being "friendly."

"No… I just. I'd like to join you. Um, just let me pack up."

"Here, I'll check out those books while you pack up." Jareth said as he grabbed the books and walked towards the checkout desk.

Sarah didn't really know what how to approach her current situation. Her phone dinged, indicating another text message. Without thinking, she looked at the text she received from her father. It was a simple text about how much Toby missed her.

"Ready?" Jareth asked.

She jumped, not expecting him to be so close behind her.

"Sure. Let's go." Sarah said, even though she had no idea where they were heading.

Walking out of the library, she expected Jareth to mouth off some directions and let her head to the eatery on her own.

"There's a great Thai place three blocks down. Is that fine with you?"

"Um, yeah, sure." Sarah said, peddling behind Jareth a few steps before she moved to his right. He was carrying the three books and didn't seem to be the one who wanted to start a conversation. Sarah tried to focus everything else around her besides the man who invited her to an early dinner/snack.

"This Thai place, is it really good?" Sarah asked, even though she cringed at the thought of her question.

"It's the best place here. I've had better, much better, but their lemongrass soup is orgasmic." Jareth said nonchalantly as he continued to walk ahead.

How could one come back from that? Sarah didn't really know. The walk to the restaurant was awkward and Sarah tried to think of some sorry excuse to haul it back to her apartment, but she knew he would call her bluff. He extended an invitation in the form of thai food, and he seemed to take her words to heart. She could be civil to him, her grade almost depended on it.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that the two were at the restaurant until Jareth gently grabbed her arm to stop her from passing it up.

"We're here." Jareth said, opening the door for her.

"Thanks." Sarah quietly said.

As the two waited to be seated, Sarah could smell his cologne. It was crisp and fresh; it reminded her of a family vacation she once went on in Colorado. It was the year she realized that skiing wasn't her forte, but she loved the smell of the air. It was a smell that could only come from snow covered mountains. Sarah didn't realize that she moved her nose closer to him to get a better sniff, and he didn't seem to notice.

When the waitress ushered them to their table, she handed them each a menu and left the two alone. The restaurant was quiet, but the dinner rush hadn't started yet. Looking at the menu, still not sure what to think of her current situation, Sarah was about to ask for a recommendation when Jareth stated,

"The cashew chicken is pretty good over here." Jareth said.

After reading the description, it did look pretty good. The waitress came by and took their drink orders. Jareth already knew what he wanted, and Sarah wasn't one to prolong their meal any longer than necessary. She decided on the lemongrass soup, just as he did. Jareth also ordered the steamed ginger dumplings and fresh spring rolls as an appetizer. Minutes later the waitress delivered their drinks.

"So, Sarah Williams, tell me about yourself." Jareth said, leaning back in his chair.

"What do you want to know?"

"Whatever you're willing to tell me. I want to see if my own personal assessment has matched up with yours."

"What's your assessment so far?" Sarah asked.

"I'll save that one for later." Jareth said with a sly look on his face.

"I'm from New York. I earned my Bachelors in English from NYU, and I'm hoping to complete a doctorate at Oxford."

"Of course, I knew you'd go with the technical. Plus, all of this is information you shared on day one of the seminar when Eubanks wanted us to get all chummy with one another. Why is it that people only focus on their career path rather than who or what they truly are?"

"So you're asking if I prefer The Beatles over The Rolling Stones?" Sarah asked.

"I'm not going to use it against you if you think The Beatles are better. I'm just curious about you."

Sarah didn't realize how heavy her sigh as she looked anywhere but towards the man who offered to pay for her meal.

"I don't really have an exciting life outside of my academic career. I've poured all of my focus into it, figuring that when I get established somewhere then I can let loose. Maybe I'm trying to just never catch up."

"What are you really avoiding? It seems to me that you're using your education as an excuse not to enjoy the simple pleasure in life."

"I love to read and listen to music. I like baking. Those are simple pleasures."

"I bet you also like to write lists and that organizer of yours is probably color coded."

Sarah was silent, knowing that he got her goose.

"Show me any student pursing a higher degree who doesn't have a meticulous daily planner."

"You're looking at one." Jareth said, once again, leaning back into his chair.

It was as if his body was created just to make such an action look good.

"Do I even want to know what you indulge in on the side?"

"I'm certainly not baking on the weekends." Jareth replied, his attention diverted to the appetizers that the waitress placed on their table.

Jareth took a plate and nodded his head towards Sarah that she should dig in.

"So why are you here?" Sarah asked.

"I have dual citizenship for the UK and the States, but I was raised primarily in London. This was my mum's alma mater, and I liked the thought of taking on a slower pace. London is lovely; it's never boring, but after she died I just need to get away from there. I ran away."

"Do you even want to be here?" Sarah asked, slowly biting into a dumpling.

"Yes, I do, but I'm not entirely too sure what I want to do when this is all over. I figure that I'll cross that bridge when the time comes for it. I used to be like you: wanting to maintain as much control over things a possible, but when my mum got sick and I saw cancer slowly take everything away from her… well, it was a wake up call."

Sarah wasn't expecting Jareth to be so open with her. He was letting her in, taking down his carefully crafted persona. She wanted to talk about her own mother as a show of solidarity, but the bing of Sarah's cell phone made her slightly jump.

"Sorry, do you mind if I get this?" Sarah said as she noticed the text came from her father.

"It's fine." Jareth said, digging into his food.

Sarah took a few seconds to type a response and put her phone away.

"Got to check in with the boyfriend?" Jareth asked snidely.

"No, it's my little brother. Well, it's my dad and my little brother." Sarah said, not really understanding what Jareth meant by the question.

"Miss the fam?"

"My workload makes it easier to not think about it. What about you? You boast about your busy social calendar, so is there a significant other?"

"There is someone I'm interested in, but I'm currently trying to navigate things. I've heard that that taking it slow is the way to go with the ladies."

That was all that she was going to get, she really didn't want to hear about this sexual escapades or attempted ones.

"So, tell me, have I lived up to your so-called assessment?" Sarah asked.

"You're just as I imagined."

"Great." Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "Sorry to have failed you." Sarah added sarcastically.

"Oh no, you misunderstand me. It's not to be rude, but I do think you probably need a few things in your life. I'm sure we all do."

"Tell me about it. I did mention two dirty martinis earlier."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about alcohol."

"Well, what? Burn my organizer?" Sarah asked as she took a sip of her water.

"I was thinking you probably need a good shagging."

Sarah nearly spit her drink out. This is the part where she would throw the drink in his face and walk away, and he knew it. Rather than give him the satisfaction, she took a few seconds before saying,

"Yeah, well, who doesn't?"

By the look on his face, this appeared to be the correct answer. As if the food gods knew there was an awkward moment in their conversation, the rest of their meal was delivered by the waitress.

The two continued to talk throughout their meal. Sarah told Jareth about her family back home, but she skirted around her birth mother. Jareth wasn't shy about the fact that his father wished for him to pursue anything but the liberal arts, and Sarah gathered the impression that he was doing all of this just to stick the middle finger to him. She felt like she was getting a better understanding of him, but he was still a bit evasive about certain things. Sarah chose not to pursue such things.

After paying for their food, Jareth and Sarah walked back to the university where their vehicles were parked.

"So, thanks for the meal. You didn't have to do that."

"You're welcome. I'm not saying we should become best buds, but I think given enough time you'll grow to like me. I wager we'll even become good friends."

Sarah scoffed, "Really?"

"Oh yes! Come on… I dare you to like me." Jareth said with confidence.

"Yeah, well, what if I don't find you that interesting?" Sarah said as she began to walk towards the parking garage where she normally parked her car.

"Don't worry, you will. See you tomorrow Sarah." Jareth said as he began to walk in the opposite direction.